SB 334: "An Act relating to guidelines and standards for state training programs; and relating to the Alaska Human Resource Investment Council."
00SENATE BILL NO. 334 01 "An Act relating to guidelines and standards for state training programs; and 02 relating to the Alaska Human Resource Investment Council." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. AS 44.19.620(a) is amended to read: 05 (a) The Alaska Human Resource Investment Council is established in the 06 Office of the Governor. The council consists of the following nine voting members 07 [, NOT TO EXCEED 26]: 08 (1) the lieutenant governor or the lieutenant governor's designee; 09 (2) [THE COMMISSIONERS OF COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC 10 DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS, EDUCATION, 11 HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES, AND LABOR, OR EACH RESPECTIVE 12 COMMISSIONER'S DESIGNEE; 13 (3)] one representative from the University of Alaska; 14 (3) [(4) FOUR ADDITIONAL REPRESENTATIVES OF
01 EDUCATION, WITH ONE FROM LOCAL PUBLIC EDUCATION, ONE FROM 02 SECONDARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION, ONE FROM A POSTSECONDARY 03 VOCATIONAL EDUCATION INSTITUTION, AND ONE FROM ADULT BASIC 04 EDUCATION; 05 (5)] four representatives of business and industry, with at least one 06 representative from the private industry councils appointed under 29 U.S.C. 1512 and 07 subject to reconstitution under 29 U.S.C. 1515; 08 (4) one representative [(6) FOUR REPRESENTATIVES] of 09 organized labor whom [THAT] the governor shall appoint from lists of nominees 10 submitted by recognized state labor organizations; the governor may reject a list 11 submitted under this paragraph and request that another list be submitted; 12 (5) [(7) AT LEAST] one representative from an organization 13 representing employment and training needs of Alaska Natives; and 14 (6) [(8) AT LEAST] one representative of a community-based service 15 organization [; 16 (9) AT LEAST ONE REPRESENTATIVE WHO HAS PERSONAL 17 OR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES; 18 AND 19 (10) AT LEAST ONE AND UP TO FOUR ADDITIONAL MEMBERS 20 OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO ENSURE A PRIVATE SECTOR MAJORITY AND 21 REGIONAL AND LOCAL REPRESENTATION ON THE COUNCIL]. 22 * Sec. 2. AS 44.19.621(a) is amended to read: 23 (a) Members of the Alaska Human Resource Investment Council other than 24 the member [THOSE] listed in AS 44.19.620(a)(1) [AND (2)] are appointed by the 25 governor and serve at the pleasure of the governor. 26 * Sec. 3. AS 44.19.621(b) is amended to read: 27 (b) The voting members of the council other than those listed in 28 AS 44.19.620(a)(1) [AND (2)] serve for staggered four-year terms and may serve until 29 a successor is appointed. An appointment to fill a vacancy shall be made in the same 30 manner as the original appointment and for the balance of the unexpired term. 31 * Sec. 4. AS 44.19.626 is amended by adding new subsections to read:
01 (d) The council shall oversee training programs operated by the state or 02 operated under contract with the state. The council shall require a training program 03 listed in (f) of this section to meet the requirements of this subsection. The council 04 shall, by regulation, establish appropriate penalties for programs and individuals who 05 fail to meet the requirements of this subsection. The council may recommend to the 06 legislature changes to enhance the effectiveness of the training programs it oversees 07 under this section. A training program funded with money appropriated by the 08 legislature must 09 (1) spend not more than 15 percent of the annual appropriation for the 10 program on administrative costs of the program; 11 (2) be operated by an institution that holds a valid authorization to 12 operate issued under AS 14.48 by the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education 13 if the program is a postsecondary educational program operated by a postsecondary 14 educational institution subject to regulation under AS 14.48; 15 (3) require the entity that operates the program to evaluate the program 16 by keeping track of the persons who receive training under the program for at least one 17 year after the person completed the program; 18 (4) require that, in the case of a program that pays the tuition costs of 19 training for an individual, if the individual fails to successfully complete the program, 20 the individual must repay the tuition costs; 21 (5) maintain a minimum registration of 15 students in each course or 22 training activity unless the council determines that a smaller number of students is 23 appropriate given the nature of the training provided and issues a waiver of this 24 requirement. 25 (e) The council shall adopt standards for the evaluation of training programs 26 listed in (f) of this section with regard to the following: 27 (1) the percent of former participants who have a job one year after 28 leaving the training program; 29 (2) the median wage of former participants seven to 12 months after 30 leaving the program; 31 (3) the percent of former participants who were employed after leaving
01 the training program who evaluate the training received under the program as very 02 related to their jobs or somewhat related to their jobs seven to 12 months after leaving 03 the training program; 04 (4) the percent of former participants of a training program who 05 indicate that they were satisfied with or somewhat satisfied with the overall quality of 06 the training program; 07 (5) the percent of employers who indicate that they were satisfied with 08 the quality of the work of new employees who had recently completed the training 09 program; 10 (6) a comparison between the number of former participants of a 11 training program with reported employment seven to 12 months after leaving the 12 training program and the employment experience of similar individuals who did not 13 participate in the training program; 14 (7) a comparison between the hourly wage of former participants of a 15 training program with reported employment seven to 12 months after leaving the 16 program and the hourly wage of similar individuals who did not participate in the 17 training program. 18 (f) The following training programs are subject to the provisions of (d) and (e) 19 of this section: 20 (1) in the Department of Administration: Alaska Professional 21 Development Institute, providing continuing education and training for employed 22 workers; 23 (2) in the Department of Community and Regional Affairs or operated 24 by the department: 25 (A) One Stop Career Center, assisting people to find work and 26 to reduce dependence on public assistance; 27 (B) local government assistance training and development, 28 including the rural utility business advisory program; 29 (C) Job Training Partnership Act programs, assisting 30 communities in moving toward a self-sustainable economy and providing 31 training;
01 (D) state training and employment program (AS 23.15.620), 02 providing training and employment services for people who are unemployed or 03 likely to become unemployed, fostering new jobs, and increasing training 04 opportunities for workers severely affected by fluctuations in the state economy 05 or adversely affected by technology advances in the workplace; 06 (E) energy operations, providing training in management and 07 administration of electric utilities and bulk fuel storage systems; 08 (3) in the Department of Corrections: 09 (A) Correctional Academy, training individuals applying for a 10 correctional officer position; 11 (B) inmate programs, providing vocational technical training and 12 education courses for inmates preparing to be released from a correctional 13 facility; 14 (C) correctional industries program, providing inmates with jobs 15 while they are incarcerated; 16 (4) in the Department of Education or operated by the department: 17 (A) adult basic education program; 18 (B) School-to-Work; 19 (C) vocational education and Tech Prep; 20 (D) Alaska Career Information System; 21 (E) high school completion project; 22 (F) Kotzebue Technical Center operations; 23 (G) Alaska Vocational Technical Center operations; 24 (H) vocational rehabilitation client services, providing assistance 25 and training to individuals in need of rehabilitative training to learn a skill to 26 become employable; 27 (I) Governor's Committee on the Employment of People with 28 Disabilities, working on employment issues; 29 (J) Work Incentive Project; 30 (K) human resource development for department staff training 31 to enhance work skills to provide services to disabled clients of the department;
01 (5) in the Department of Environmental Conservation: 02 (A) remote maintenance worker program, providing training and 03 technical assistance to communities to keep drinking water and sewage disposal 04 systems running, and providing on-the-job training to local operators; 05 (B) water and wastewater operator training and assistance; 06 (C) federal drinking water operator training and certification; 07 (6) in the Department of Health and Social Services: Alaska works 08 programs; 09 (7) in the Department of Labor: 10 (A) employment services, including job development, assisting 11 individuals in finding employment, and assisting employed individuals in 12 finding other employment; 13 (B) unemployment insurance grants provided under the federal 14 training relocation assistance program; 15 (C) Alaska works programs, assisting with the welfare-to-work 16 program; 17 (D) state training employment program, coordinated with the 18 Department of Community and Regional Affairs; 19 (8) in the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs: educational 20 benefits for members of the Alaska National Guard and the Alaska Naval Militia; 21 (9) in the Department of Public Safety: 22 (A) fire service training to maintain emergency training skills 23 for existing fire fighter staff and volunteers and individuals interested in 24 becoming fire fighters; 25 (B) Public Safety Training Academy, training trooper recruits; 26 (10) in the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities: 27 (A) engineer-in-training program, providing on-the-job training 28 for apprentice engineers to enable them to gain the experience necessary to be 29 certified; 30 (B) statewide transportation improvement program, offered by 31 the United States National Highway Institute;
01 (C) local technical assistance program, transferring technical 02 expertise to local governments; 03 (D) Native technical assistance program, transferring technical 04 expertise to Native governments; 05 (E) border technology exchange program, to coordinate highway 06 issues with the Yukon Territory. 07 (g) In this section, "training program" means a training program subject to 08 oversight by the council under this section. 09 * Sec. 5. TRANSITION FOR MEMBERSHIP ON THE ALASKA HUMAN RESOURCE 10 INVESTMENT COUNCIL. (a) On the effective date of this Act, the membership on the 11 Alaska Human Resource Investment Council shall be reconstituted as provided in this Act. 12 In the case of members serving as representatives of organized labor, the governor shall 13 designate the individual who shall remain a member of the council under the provisions of this 14 Act. In the case of members serving in other capacities, if there is more than one member 15 appointed in a membership category that is reduced in number by this Act, the governor shall 16 designate the individual who shall remain a member of the council. 17 (b) For members of the council who will continue to serve on the council after this 18 Act takes effect other than the member listed under AS 44.19.620(a)(1), at the end of a 19 member's term of office, the vacancy shall be filled for the length of time that ensures that 20 the terms of members of the council are staggered as described in AS 39.05.055. In 21 determining the length of term to which a replacement member shall be appointed, the 22 governor shall ensure that the terms of office of members appointed under AS 44.19.620(a)(3) 23 end in different years.